Thanks to £1,700 of funding from Leeds Hospitals Charity, the Radiotherapy department at Leeds Cancer Centre has been able to install a brand-new ambient lighting experience. One of twelve radiotherapy treatment rooms can now create a relaxing environment for patients during their treatment.

The ambient lighting allows the Radiotherapy team to change the colour of the treatment room. This, combined with the existing in room smart TVs that play photos and music, not only make a huge difference to the patients, who are sometimes children, but also to the Therapy Radiographers who are able to continue treatment whilst the patient relaxes.

Peter Enever, Technical Lead Radiographer at Leeds Cancer Centre, said:

“We have initially focused these installs on the machine that mainly treats paediatric patients, as they often get the most nervous when receiving treatment. By creating a calming environment, we can often avoid the need for a general anaesthetic.

The funding has made a huge difference as it allows the patient to select an ambient experience so they can focus on something other than the treatment. Radiotherapy machines are large and some people can find them daunting,  however thanks to this support from Leeds Hospitals Charity, we are now able to find new ways to distract the patient and help them feel at ease, which in return, aids the treatment setup and delivery.

Leeds Hospitals Charity is a fantastic organisation that goes above and beyond. It has been a really smooth process working with the charity from initial contact to the confirmation that the bid had been successful, their support is very much valued here at Leeds Cancer Centre.”